1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to software, computing devices, and sensors for creating interactive systems. More specifically, it relates to software for creating zones with respect to objects and detecting changes in zones to initiate output events.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is becoming increasingly prevalent in our day-to-day lives to experience interactivity with objects ranging from monitors to appliances to retail products. People are more accustomed to walking up to, most commonly, a screen or monitor and expecting to touch it and interact with it. Many retailers are using interactivity to showcase or demonstrate appliances, consumer electronics, and other retail goods in stores, as well as in public places. However, currently this interactivity, often based on hand gestures, body movements, or touch is often too costly and is still difficult to implement and maintain in many environment. For example, implementing a touch screen for a large display monitor is very expensive. This is especially true when a wider range of objects is considered. For example, in order for an object to be interactive, such as a monitor, an appliance, a car in a showroom, a poster, or an item on a shelf, the object often has to be powered on or electrically functional, that is, plugged in and turned on. In addition, the hardware needed can be intrusive, vulnerable to damage, or impracticable depending on the setting. The components needed, such as sensors and processors, often must be connected to the object in some manner, often electronically. Often, standard detection techniques using sonic or magnetic sensors cannot be used. Many of the current systems also rely on having to scan for a skeletal image (such scanning is often not optional). Many of the interactive objects and systems today also require that the user touch a screen or surface or hold something which can lead to increased potential of spreading germs and may not be sufficiently hygienic in many environments (for example in schools or hospitals).
Given drawbacks of systems providing hand and gesture based interactivity, together with their increasing prevalence in more facets of society (home, work place, public spaces, retail stores, schools, museums, hospitals, and so on), an improved system and method of implementing such interactivity with two and three dimensional objects is needed. Such methods and systems should have a number of benefits. For one, the sensors should not have to have any type of connection to the interactive object. The object can be 2D, like a poster or surface, or 3D and there should minimal restrictions on its size, shape and environment. Moreover, the interactive object can be a physical or natural object that does not need to be powered on or be functional, that is, it should not need to have a power source. Thus, nearly any type of object can be interacted with, including a natural object, such as a tree, a plant or rock, a poster, a work of art, furniture, clothes, appliances, consumer electronics, household goods, none of which should need to be powered on or connected to the interactive apparatus in any manner. It would be preferable if the set-up and configuration of the interactive system be as generic as possible. The complexity of the set-up should only be dictated by the conditions and environment that the object is in (e.g., subject to inclement weather, confined to a small space, subject to high volume of users/traffic, not near a power source, and so on) and the sensitivity of the depth sensor. There are other desirable features of such a system, such as detecting close proximity, rather than actual physical contact or touch or not requiring a skeletal image of a hand or face in order to be interactive. Finally, the system and method of implementing hand and gesture based interactivity should be inherently low-cost and require minimal hardware, such as a depth sensor, a processor, and a means for output (e.g., a speaker, monitor, etc.).
One motivation for conceiving an improved hand and gesture based interactive system arises from a need to engage potential customers in an increasingly challenging retail environment and doing so in a cost-effective and simple way where the product (interactive object) need not be connected to any other physical means of communication.